


At Long Last

by canthelpmyselves



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Dates, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 13:37:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17746865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canthelpmyselves/pseuds/canthelpmyselves
Summary: After years of secretly crushing on Barry, Mark finally gets up the courage to ask him out.





	At Long Last

Mark smirked and reached across the table to place his hand on Barry’s. “So, having a good time?”

Barry looked at Mark and smiled shyly. “Yeah,” he admitted. “I am.”

Mark’s smile lit up his eyes. “Good. I know you said you weren’t sure about, you know, dating me...”

“Not because of you,” Barry said gently. He hesitated a moment before turning his hand over and clasping Mark’s in his. 

Mark nodded. Barry’s last relationship had ended really badly. Even if he hadn’t witnessed it, first hand, he knew too many of the players in the drama not to know at least most of the story. 

Barry Allen and Leonard Snart had been together since sophomore year of high school. Snart had rescued Barry from some bullies and within a week, they were practically attached at the hip. As the first openly same-sex couple in a small school, they had attracted a lot of attention, some good, some bad. They seemed to really fit, though. Snart was loud and dramatic while Barry was sweet and even-tempered. By the time senior prom was being planned, everyone just assumed that Barry and Snart would be that old cliché of high school sweethearts who were named prom king and queen, then went on to marry, have a couple of kids and grow old together.

Then it all fell apart. 

Three days before prom, Snart showed up to school with Hartley Rathaway on his bike. They were caught kissing in the hallway at lunch time. Meanwhile, Barry was nowhere to be seen. It was Iris, Barry’s foster sister, who let out the news (by confronting Snart and screaming at him for being an asshole). Barry had caught Rathaway in Snart’s bed and they had a messy breakup. 

When Barry came back to school the next day, he was withdrawn. He hardly spoke to anyone, even teachers. He mumbled responses to questions, or just ignored them altogether. He avoided most of his previous group, sticking by Iris or her boyfriend Eddie, most of the time. He didn’t go to prom, but most of the people who knew Barry thought that was for the best. He definitely didn’t need to see Snart and Rathaway making out in full view of everyone else.

As for Snart, he had made it perfectly clear that he felt no remorse when he and Barry both turned a corner at the same time and almost collided. Snart shoved Barry out of his way and kept walking. 

Mark had had a crush on Barry as far back as middle school. He just never had the courage to approach the object of his affections. Barry came from a loving family, with lots of support. He lived in an upper class neighborhood. He was incredibly smart. Mark was the son of alcoholics. He lived in a trailer park. He shopped at second-hand shops. Seeing Barry with Snart, whose own background was similar to Mark’s, had been heartbreaking. He couldn’t help but wonder if it would have been him Barry loved if he’d just had the courage to ask Barry out.

After graduation, he’d been surprised to find out Barry was going to CCU instead of heading off to some big name university like Harvard or MIT. He’d been astonished to find out Barry was in the same dorm as him. It felt like fate was giving him a second chance. A chance he wasn’t about to let slip past him. 

Of course, Barry didn’t agree to a date at first. It took a few tries before he hesitantly agreed to tonight’s get together. They started off the evening at the library for a study session for the one class they shared, creative writing. After two hours of comparing notes, discussing the essays they were assigned and a bit of teasing and chatting, they had headed to a nearby diner for a meal. The food was cheap, which was perfect for their college wallets, but tasty. Mark was confident the date had gone well.

“So,” he said hesitantly. “Think you might want to do this again?”

Barry studied Mark carefully for a long moment. “Mark…” he paused and released Mark’s hand, looking down at the table. “Do you know why L-Len broke up with me?” he asked, expression pained.

“Cause he’s a dumbass?” Mark offered.

“Because I didn’t… I wasn’t...” Barry sighed, his cheeks turning pink while the rest of his face paled. “He wanted to sleep together and when I said no, he quickly found someone else who would. I wasn’t ready. I’m still not ready. I know it sounds puritanical, but I intend to wait for marriage.”

Mark felt a shiver race up his spine at the sudden mental image of Barry walking down an aisle toward him. He took a deep breath to will away that fantasy and linked his hand with Barry’s again. “Barry, I’ve liked you since 6th grade,” he said honestly. “I’ll be honest. I’m not a virgin. But I also know that how I feel about you doesn’t depend on whether you and I have sex. I want to date you. Study together. Hold hands. Eat, watch movies, or just sit and cuddle.”

“And what happens when you do want sex and I say no?” Barry asked quietly. 

“I’m not Snart,” Mark promised. “Sex isn’t important to me. Yes, I like it,” he clarified when Barry looked at his disbelievingly, “but guess what? I have a right hand. I can take care of that, myself. Give me a chance?”

Barry was quiet for a few minutes, thinking it over carefully. Finally, he gave Mark’s hand a squeeze. “Okay,” he said shyly. “I… I like you, too. I’d like to go on another date with you.”

Mark smiled widely with relief. He had to restrain himself from jumping up and making an idiot of himself by doing some stupid happy dance. Instead, he tossed enough money on the table for the check and tip and held out his hand. Barry smiled and took it, letting Mark help him to his feet. “I’ll walk you home,” he offered.

Barry giggled and wrapped his arm around Mark’s. “Our rooms are three doors away from each other,” he pointed out.

Mark smirked as they headed to the counter to pay the check. “Then you have no excuse not to let me.”

The walk back to their dorm was mostly silent, both of them just enjoying being together. When they reached Barry’s door, he paused for a second before leaning up and placing a chaste kiss on Mark’s cheek. By the time Mark’s blush had fully formed, Barry was inside, the door closed. Mark chuckled and continued down the hall to his own room, making plans in his head for their next date.


End file.
